1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Trifles. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
In the beginning of Trifles, the time period is 1916 in the midwest and the setting is a farmhouse that was once occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Wright. It is most likely during the winter. The people who are interacting are the Sheriff, Hale, the attorney, the Sheriff's wife, and Mrs. Hale. The dramatic situation taking place is the looking for evidence for a murder that has just taken place.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters finding a dead bird with its neck broken. Leading up to finding the bird, the two women had been talking about if Mrs. Wright had really done it and how well they both knew her. After they see the bird, they both make the conscious decision to hide the evidence from the sheriff and the court attorney and stick to that decision to end of the play.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The events take place at this time and place because it is typically unorthodox for the two women to be at a crime scene unless they had some direct correlation to it. Because they are there, they had the ability to manipulate the evidence that they did find and withhold all that they had learned from the evidence they did find.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question is 'did Mrs. Wright murder Mr. Wright?' The question of who murdered the bird would most likely be answered by the answer to who killed Mr. Wright. Because the women worked so hard to hide the evidence of the bird, they both must have believed it was Mrs. Wright who killed it, and the pitied her enough to want to help her.
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale.
Mrs. Hale's wants face many obstacles, one of them being her self guilt for not being closer to Mrs. Wright. That is a 'me against myself' obstacle because she is experiencing her own internal conflict. Another obstacle she faced was trying to justify why Mrs. Wright might have killed her husband. She had said things like "Mr. Wright was a raw man" and shivered at the thought of him. While not out right saying she thought Mrs. Wright did it, she tried to make it seem as though it should be understandable why Mrs. Wright did. This was a me against society obstacle because Mrs. Hale's wants went against what the law states. Mrs. Hale want to hide the evidence may have been a me against fate obstacle. However, Mrs. Hale may have wanted to prevent Mrs. Wright's fate rather than her own. Mrs. Hale did not want Mrs. Wright to be punished for the crime of killing Mr. Wright.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in Triflesand what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
I think the most theatrical moment in Trifles is when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are talking to each other before they find the bird. Mrs. Hale goes on and on about how she could have prevented this outcome. She says if she had only been closer to Mrs. Wright, things would have turned out differently. She then compares Mrs. Wright to a bird in that she was "innocent and sweet". This entire dialogue shows where Mrs. Hale's stance was on Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Hale opinion of her then propelled her and her decision to hide the evidence when they found the dead bird.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
A trifle is something little of value or importance. The narrator creates a picture of that in the very beginning by describing the house in much detail; the fruit, the bread, unwashed pans in the sink, and many other 'uncompleted works'. Another example is the bird cage that Mrs Peters and Mrs. Hale find.They notice how the door to it has been slightly pulled apart, as if someone had be 'rough with it'. Another image is Mrs. Hale noticing the table had a clean side and messy side. She cleans the messy side and then moves on to find a quilt with messed up sewing, and she goes on the fix that as well. All examples show something so small and insignificant, but really add some depth to the story and Mrs. Hale as a character.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.
Gender differences between the women and the men, justice or judgement for Mrs. Wright, and isolation that Mrs. Wright experienced.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles?
There are many family relationships in Trifles. However, Trifles mainly focused on the husband and wife relationship. There was Mrs. Peters and her husband, the Sheriff and Mr. and Mrs. Hale and then Mr and Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Wright and her husband were probably the most important ones. Much of their relationship was directed by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Hale mentions how a certain family should behave in order to be normal. For instance, she brings up the fact that their were no children and how that made a 'quiet house'. She notes how that could have affected a Mr. and Mrs. Wrights relationship. Mrs. Hale brings up other examples or "trifles" that negatively affected the Wright's marriage.
In the beginning of Trifles, the time period is 1916 in the midwest and the setting is a farmhouse that was once occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Wright. It is most likely during the winter. The people who are interacting are the Sheriff, Hale, the attorney, the Sheriff's wife, and Mrs. Hale. The dramatic situation taking place is the looking for evidence for a murder that has just taken place.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters finding a dead bird with its neck broken. Leading up to finding the bird, the two women had been talking about if Mrs. Wright had really done it and how well they both knew her. After they see the bird, they both make the conscious decision to hide the evidence from the sheriff and the court attorney and stick to that decision to end of the play.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The events take place at this time and place because it is typically unorthodox for the two women to be at a crime scene unless they had some direct correlation to it. Because they are there, they had the ability to manipulate the evidence that they did find and withhold all that they had learned from the evidence they did find.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question is 'did Mrs. Wright murder Mr. Wright?' The question of who murdered the bird would most likely be answered by the answer to who killed Mr. Wright. Because the women worked so hard to hide the evidence of the bird, they both must have believed it was Mrs. Wright who killed it, and the pitied her enough to want to help her.
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale.
Mrs. Hale's wants face many obstacles, one of them being her self guilt for not being closer to Mrs. Wright. That is a 'me against myself' obstacle because she is experiencing her own internal conflict. Another obstacle she faced was trying to justify why Mrs. Wright might have killed her husband. She had said things like "Mr. Wright was a raw man" and shivered at the thought of him. While not out right saying she thought Mrs. Wright did it, she tried to make it seem as though it should be understandable why Mrs. Wright did. This was a me against society obstacle because Mrs. Hale's wants went against what the law states. Mrs. Hale want to hide the evidence may have been a me against fate obstacle. However, Mrs. Hale may have wanted to prevent Mrs. Wright's fate rather than her own. Mrs. Hale did not want Mrs. Wright to be punished for the crime of killing Mr. Wright.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in Triflesand what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
I think the most theatrical moment in Trifles is when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are talking to each other before they find the bird. Mrs. Hale goes on and on about how she could have prevented this outcome. She says if she had only been closer to Mrs. Wright, things would have turned out differently. She then compares Mrs. Wright to a bird in that she was "innocent and sweet". This entire dialogue shows where Mrs. Hale's stance was on Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Hale opinion of her then propelled her and her decision to hide the evidence when they found the dead bird.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
A trifle is something little of value or importance. The narrator creates a picture of that in the very beginning by describing the house in much detail; the fruit, the bread, unwashed pans in the sink, and many other 'uncompleted works'. Another example is the bird cage that Mrs Peters and Mrs. Hale find.They notice how the door to it has been slightly pulled apart, as if someone had be 'rough with it'. Another image is Mrs. Hale noticing the table had a clean side and messy side. She cleans the messy side and then moves on to find a quilt with messed up sewing, and she goes on the fix that as well. All examples show something so small and insignificant, but really add some depth to the story and Mrs. Hale as a character.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.
Gender differences between the women and the men, justice or judgement for Mrs. Wright, and isolation that Mrs. Wright experienced.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles?
There are many family relationships in Trifles. However, Trifles mainly focused on the husband and wife relationship. There was Mrs. Peters and her husband, the Sheriff and Mr. and Mrs. Hale and then Mr and Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Wright and her husband were probably the most important ones. Much of their relationship was directed by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Hale mentions how a certain family should behave in order to be normal. For instance, she brings up the fact that their were no children and how that made a 'quiet house'. She notes how that could have affected a Mr. and Mrs. Wrights relationship. Mrs. Hale brings up other examples or "trifles" that negatively affected the Wright's marriage.